REVIEW: Field of Anise @ Ironworks
It’s a story of love, of belonging, and a shocking betrayal, made worse by an ending I had not seen coming and which will make you gasp. Not only is this Amir’s debut as a playwright, he also stars and directs – an amazing achievement.
Field of Anise is the debut play of Brighton-based writer Amir Amaar and it’s an at times realistically brutal, at times poetic story of loving and leaving.
Zayd and Khalid are gay Syrian lovers who seek a new life and home away from their war-torn country.
Based on Amir’s own experiences as a refugee, it pulls no punches about the harshness of the regime, and the equal brutality of the people smugglers, who will be merciless in getting their fees and, when appropriate, their revenge if someone cheats on them.
Hearing that there was an interval in this relatively short piece, I wondered why, but Amir’s episodic structure creates a first act climax with the sinking of the refugees’ boat that requires a break in the tension and atmosphere.
There are flashbacks that are not always as clear as they might be, and there are minor issues with the structure and plotting, but I regard this as work in progress and now it has had an audience I am sure its revision will occupy Amir’s mind.
Amir brings to the role of Zayd a poetic determination, a stubbornness that is his undoing, and by contrast genuine warmth in his feelings for Khalid, played with feisty energy by Ehson Jodeyri. The chemistry between the two is palpably loving and equally heart-rending.
Gabriel Oprea is a very scary and violent smuggler- almost bipolar in his love/hate attitude towards Zayd.
Bethan Fraser doubles as Zayd’s troubled mother and excels as a female refugee separated from her son. She has some of the most difficult to watch scenes in the play.
Rocco Biancardi doubles as a far-right thoroughly despicable tv interviewer and as a well-meaning immigration officer.
Julia Peterson is a female Syrian church leader who provides a spiritual and philosophical backdrop, questioning the nature of love and belief.
It’s a story of love, of belonging, and a shocking betrayal, made worse by an ending I had not seen coming and which will make you gasp. Not only is this Amir’s debut as a playwright, he also stars and directs – an amazing achievement.
Playing to pretty much capacity in the Ironworks Studios smaller venue, as part of Brighton Fringe, it deserves another outing. The sinking of their boat is a coup de theatre in such a small space. It’s an important piece of theatre in these troubled times.
